Bulgaria's prized Thracian Panagyurishte Gold Treasure is on display Monday in its hometown Panagyurishte, in central Bulgaria.

This is the first time that the world-famous piece of historic heritage returns to the town near which it was found, 63 years ago.

The display will last for a month, until May 16, and is set to be repeated each year. During the remaining time, the Panagyurishte travels on exhibits around the world.

"I want to especially thank Bulgarian Minister of Culture Vezhdi Rashidov for making this happen," commented Panagyurishte History Museum Director Georgi Abdulov.

He also said that two replicas of the Thracian treasure are set to be made in pure gold, to be donated to the National History Museum in Sofia and the Panagyurishte History Museum.

Monday's official ceremony for the opening of the exhibition will be attended by many official guests, including VP Margarita Popova, Minister Rashidov, Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, MPs and Bulgarian historian and former minister Bozhidar Dimitrov.

In 2010, the municipal authorities of Panagyurishte and the nearby city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest, had engaged in a conflict over who has more rights to display the treasure, which belongs to the National History Museum in Sofia.

The Panagyurishte Gold Treasure was found on December 8, 1949, by three brothers – Pavel, Petko and Michail Deikovi, who worked together at the region of Merul tile factory near the town of Panagyurishte, Bulgaria.

It consists of a phial, an amphora and seven rhytons with total weight of 6.164 kg of 23-karat gold. All of the objects are richly and skilfully decorated with scenes from Thracian mythology, customs and life.

It is dated to the 4th-3rd centuries BC, and is thought to have been used as a royal ceremonial set by the Thracian king Seuthes III.

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